Teacher Karen Venegas is the Teacher/Director at our school and came to us with a wealth of experience including a B.A in English Literature from UCLA and credentials in both Early Childhood and Adult Education.
Her Early Childhood training began at Cabrillo College. From 1986 – 2004, she:
• Trained as a student teacher in the pre-school lab
• Worked for two years as a 1:1 aide for a preschooler with spina bifida, interfacing between support specialists, staff, and the child-students.
• Taught as a substitute Master Teacher in the preschool lab over several years
• Facilitated Mommy and Me and Daddy and Me classes through Cabrillo’s programs
• Spent a year as an intern in the one-year-old classroom

From 1984-7/1993-6, Teacher Karen was also a parent at Soquel Cooperative Preschool in Soquel, CA. She participated at the Coop as a parent with her two children, Jessa and Willie, serving as President several times. It was at Soquel that Teacher Karen discovered the power and joy of the Cooperative experience.

Teacher Karen began her Adult Education work just after being hired at Building Blocks in 2004. Coursework was completed through Lee and Susan Clark and their partnership with San Jose State University. She continues to research and explore to become the best teacher she can be.

Additionally, she helped develop “Boots Book Bindery” at Mar Vista Elementary – a place where teachers and students could learn about how to make books and where book-making was integrated into curriculum for students in grades K-6.

At Main Street Elementary, she worked with a team of people who ran Family Concerts on Main Street – where local and nationally-recognized storytellers, musicians, and performers became the concerts that provided funding for art and music education.

Even more important, in terms of experience, Teacher Karen’s children are opposites! Her wild-and-crazy girl and sweet, quiet boy provided a range of diverse experiences that became crucial to who she is as a teacher today. In her life’s charter, Karen states:

The purpose my life is for is to be a celebration of wonder –
where each of us experiences the unique contribution we are
and the power of honoring our similarities and differences.

The values at the heart of who I am are: love, integrity, partnership, beauty, creativity, and contribution.

You can count on me to continually step beyond my fear,
To step beyond what I know...
To be a bold stand and celebration for the difference each of us makes.

Teacher Karen lives in Aptos with her husband of 30 years, her son, 21, their housemate (also an Early Childhood teacher), and their family cat Webster. She loves working with families for families at Building Blocks.